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Steve Carell and Cecily Strong Sang a Hilariously Bizarre Thanksgiving Song on SNL
The former The Office star brought big Michael Scott energy to the 2018 "Friends-giving" sketch.
Between John Legend, Michael Bublé, and Reba McEntire's respective holiday catalogs alone, there’s really no shortage of Christmas music. But what about Thanksgiving songs? Saturday Night Live tackled that very question in the hilarious “Friends-giving” sketch starring Steve Carell.
Sure, we all know and love Adam Sandler’s classic ode to turkey from "Weekend Update" — yet The Office star and SNL cast member Cecily Strong gave him a run for his money with an absolutely wild, all-over-the-place ditty the two's characters claim is about the holiday.
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Rewatch the viral SNL “Friends-giving” sketch from Season 44, Episode 6 above — and don't miss the show's 2024 Thanksgiving special on November 27.
Steve Carell sang an unhinged Thanksgiving song on SNL
Carell returned to host SNL for his third time on November 17, 2018, with the episode including “Friends-giving” with Strong as well as cast members Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Kenan Thompson, and Beck Bennett.
The sketch opens with the group gathered around a table to have a Thanksgiving dinner, with Carell and Strong playing “stragglers” who don’t know each other or the group all that well.
The awkwardness kicks off when Carell shares that his parents’ poodle-slash-wolf dog “knocks me down and dominates me.” McKinnon quickly chimes in to change the subject, noting that there really aren’t any famous Thanksgiving songs. After a brief back and forth, Carell and Strong's characters are convinced they know a certain rock song that is.
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“Caught his eye on Turkey Day as we both make pumpkin pie,” Strong sings, as Carell takes over: “She flashed a little smile my way and she can tell that I am shy.” As the rest of the group remains confused, the duo sings even more bizarre lyrics.
Carell and Strong then bust out a synthesizer from a nearby closet to duet the song with a backing track, telling a strange romance-gone-wrong tale that leads into spoken word.
“It’s morning, I have to go,” Strong says in an Australian accent.
“But I’m embarrassed — I failed you,” Carell says in what McKinnon's character thinks is a German accent. “Wow, what a turkey day night!”
Just when you think the tune couldn’t get more out there, Jones's hostess character joins them. The rest follow, with Thompson belting out like he’s Bruce Springsteen.
As they all realize they actually knew the song about doing this “turkey dance,” Strong disappears, just like the woman in the song. But not before stealing their car keys and stabbing Bennett in the stomach.
SNL fans spotted lots of references in the “Friends-giving” sketch
Loads of fans noticed that the song from the sketch sounds very similar to ABBA’s 1981 song “When All Is Said and Done.” It certainly wouldn’t be surprising if this sketch was inspired by the pop group. In 2023, McKinnon, Bowen Yang, Kristen Wiig, and Maya Rudolph all starred in an “ABBA Christmas” sketch that was equally bizarre.
Fans also thought that Carell’s character reminded them of one his most iconic roles — Michael Scott from The Office.
“‘She was the love of my life’ after knowing her for 4 minutes. Such a Michael Scott thing to say,” one fan commented on YouTube.
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How to watch old SNL Thanksgiving sketches
You can watch all 50 seasons of SNL, including Carrell’s 2018 Thanksgiving episode, on Peacock right now.
SNL’s YouTube channel also has a handy compilation of Thanksgiving sketches.
And don't miss A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving, a new holiday special featuring some of SNL’s most memorable Thanksgiving sketches from the past 50 seasons.
The 2024 SNL Thanksgiving special airs on Wednesday, November 27 at 9/8c on NBC and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
